Has anyone drawn or hunted elk here in PA before? I got lucky and drew a cow tag this year but to say the least I am unprepared. I drew zones 1,2,3 &10. Any tips on where to start looking for elk in those areas?
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Hunt as tho this year is your last in the field.
hmm i thought you could only get drawn for one zone.
First you should probably contact the PGC to find out what info they have available. They should be able to provide you with a list of open hunting grounds within the zone and they also have a list of approved guides.
Too bad you didnt get zone 2, i could have pointed you in the direction of my deer stand. I see elk from it almost every year.
Setter, congrats! I drew a bull tag last year in area 9 which is the only area I scouted. Not to discount this site, but there is a lot of PA Elk talk on huntingpa.com.
How close to the elk range are you? If you can get up there and put some time in, you can save on the cost of a guide. One issue is that most of the private land in your hunting zones are tied up by guides.
Live here in Harrisburg area, so not too bad to drive up and scout some. Was figuring I pretty much had to count on hunting the public land, I know some landowners are not big on the elk but still have heard it is tough to get on private ground. I want to do it myself, without a guide.
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Hunt as tho this year is your last in the field.
Has anyone drawn or hunted elk here in PA before? I got lucky and drew a cow tag this year but to say the least I am unprepared. I drew zones 1,2,3 &10. Any tips on where to start looking for elk in those areas?
You got the zone with what I believe to be the best areas for harvesting an elk. Zones 2 and 10 both have a lot of public land and you shouldn"™t have any trouble finding areas with a lot of elk sign if you get the time to do a little scouting.
I would start out by checking the areas of Game Lands 311 down Porcupine Road to the left at the game lands gate or by going down to the bridge, cross the bridge and then go up the road to the left about a half mile or so and you will be able to see across toward some food plots on the game lands. That entire area would be good.
I would also check out the game lands off to the left when going up over the hill on the lower end of the Gray Hill Road, the double gate area below the old Gilbert Farm, near where they are stripping, all the way down Porcupine and Dents Run or just about any of the area between Dents Run and the elk viewing area will have a good supply of elk.
There are lots of excellent public hunting areas in those units where you should be able to find an elk without the need for a guide provided you do some scouting and have even a small amount of good luck. Getting it out without a guide of some darn good friends or family members on hand though is another story.
Just make sure you don"™t get into the "śNo Hunt Area"ť around the viewing area.
PA Elk Hunting
